“Burke shows again that he’s not just a comic genius, but also a fine dramatic writer and storyteller.” – Booklist. “Prose both scabrous and poetic.” – Publishers Weekly. “Proust meets Chandler over a pint of Guinness.” – Spectator. “Among the most memorable books of the year, of any genre.” – Sunday Times. “A hardboiled delight.” – Guardian. “Imagine Donald Westlake and Richard Stark collaborating on a screwball noir.” – Kirkus Reviews. “A cross between Raymond Chandler and Flann O’Brien.” – John Banville.

Monday, October 8, 2012

Top Katz

The Irish edition of the Sunday Times Culture section has become a terrific source of new Irish crime and mystery novels of late, and yesterday they carried another review of a debut Irish crime writer, John O’Keeffe’s SEARCHING FOR AMI (Red Rock Press). The gist runs thusly:

“O’Keeffe, a Dublin GP, adeptly handles the nuances of the political situation in Israel / Palestine … The bulk of the book - a pacy page-turner - focuses on Harry’s quest to find Ami dead or alive … O’Keeffe is to be commended for a polished debut, which maintains its tension and has some fine passages.” - Ciaran Byrne, Sunday Times

So there you have it. SEARCHING FOR AMI is published by Red Rock Press, whose blurb elves have been wibbling thusly:

In the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, an American woman and her daughter Ami are caught up in a brutally efficient guerrilla attack on a Jewish settlement. The killings leave a trail of bloodshed, bodies and a mystery: where are the remains of the little girl who has disappeared without trace? What has happened to her? Her father – intelligence officer Harry Katz – refuses to believe that his beloved daughter is dead. He begins an extraordinary journey to uncover the truth and her whereabouts. Harry’s odyssey takes him from the near medieval savagery of Southern Lebanon, through the sleepy suburbs of Zurich and Ulm, culminating in a gripping drama on the streets of Dublin. His pursuit of the woman who stole his daughter draws him into the pitiless world of international intelligence services and the stark realities of modern day terrorism. Shifting allegiances, casual betrayal, deception and murder are the day-to-day realities that Harry must confront in his desperate search to find Ami. A gripping suspense thriller, Harry’s journey and ultimate redemption makes for a compelling narrative that races along at a cracking pace with the assured touch of an accomplished storyteller.

For more on John O’Keeffe and SEARCHING FOR AMI, and a pdf of the first three chapters, clickety-click here …

Crime Always Pays

The Lost and The Blind

“Burke shows again that he’s not just a comic genius, but also a fine dramatic writer and storyteller.” – Booklist

Absolute Zero Cool

“Among the most memorable books of the year, of any genre, was Declan Burke’s ABSOLUTE ZERO COOL ... a fiendishly dark thriller that evokes the best of Flann O’Brien and Bret Easton Ellis.” - Sunday Times

Books To Die For

“As good a collection of short essays on crime fiction as one is likely to find.” - Washington Post